UK weather forecast: Temperatures to soar next week as ‘heatwave’ hits England and Wales

Forecasters predict ‘very warm’ weather for time of year following damp August

Warm weather is set to return to the UK after a damp August as parts of the country could see an official heatwave in the coming days, with temperatures expected to rise to almost 30C.

The Met Office has said people in England and Wales could bask in sweltering heat and sunshine from Monday to Wednesday.

Although a heatwave predicted for August failed to materialise, the national weather service is expecting temperatures to rise on Tuesday to around 28C in southern England before thunderstorms in the second half of the week bring an end to the hot spell.

It is also predicted that temperatures could rise to as high as 30C on Tuesday and stay at 29C on Wednesday at London’s Heathrow Airport.

The Met Office added that the storms later in the week will start in the western parts of England and Wales before moving east into next weekend.

“We are expecting temperatures to rise at the beginning of the new week,” Annie Shuttleworth, a Met Office forecaster, said.

“Despite a cloudy start to Monday, conditions will be clear and bright with hot temperatures for large parts of England and eastern Wales as the result of continental air moving in from the south.

“This air will start to push through the country on Tuesday and Wednesday, dragging temperatures as high as 29C (84.2F) for parts of the southeast while Scotland and Northern Ireland will also move into the mid-twenties.”

Ms Shuttleworth added: “It's going to be very warm for the time of year and could even be rather uncomfortable for people trying to sleep at night, with temperatures remaining at around 18C (64.4F) during the evening.”

An official heatwave is called when an area records a period of at least three consecutive days with high temperatures, set at 25C or above for central England and Wales, and 28C for London and southeast England.

Ms Shuttleworth said there was a “decent chance” of an official heatwave being called for parts of central England and eastern Wales.

The forecaster has also warned the public to be aware of the risk of sunburn, even though the UK is now past the peak of summer, as temperatures are likely to be higher than expected for this time of year.

“The sun is still fairly strong so if you're going to be in the sun for kind of a good length of time, wear a hat and some sun cream because even though it would be kind of past the peak of the summer, the sun can still burn you at this time of year,” Craig Snell, a Met Office meteorologist, said on Saturday.

“For some of us, I think [temperatures] will probably be a good five degrees above average for the time of year.”

Additional reporting by PA